The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-09-08
CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER IL
Twenty minutes before three the fol-
lowing afternoon, M lie stood before
her glass adjusting plumey white hat
over her fluffy hair. Two wide brown
eyes gazed inquiringly at the lovely
reflection in the mirror.
mildred Travis" she declared SOL
emnly, ''during the last four -and-twen-
ty hours this castle has been pervaded
by an air of deep and gloomy mystery!.
Your respectable aunts have glided
around with smiles of hidden meaning
upon their sinister lips. and have
dropped their heads in conscious guilt
when they met your stern, accusing
gaze. And now. at the hour of our
daily promenade, they come separate
ly, evidently avoiding one another and
tender excuses for non-attendance
which it would be base flattery to call
lame-crutches would not hold them
up; and they have both slipped from
the house, hurridly. mysteriously, and
walked rapidly away, at different times
and in opposite directions. l fear
those giddy young things have been led
into Irritation with the handsome
policeman at the corner; must look
after them. But in the meantime
with glad sigh of pleasure--'I will
enjoy one hour of liberty, and walk in
the park alone"
Fifteen minutes before three, Mis-
tress Anna, attired in blue dress dec
grated with bouquet of roses, two
pink. one white. walked rapidly through
Scottish Park, arrived. breathless and
blushinag. at the oak tree seat: and sat
down demurely upon one end of that
cozy resting place. Precisely seven
minutes before three came lady, from
the opposite direction, and, by singu-
lar coincidence attired in exactly the
same manner as tho first-comer. She
seated herself upon the farther end of
the same bench. The two were
screened from each other by the lnl-
mense vine-draped oak. 1t was Sc
cluded place, far from the main thor
oughfare. half way down grassy
slope. shut in by vines and trees. A
few feet away ran narrow path. and
shortly after three o'clock the occu-
pants of the seat heard steps approach
ing, slowly, ]ingeringly. Both ladies
looked up coquettishly; glance VIII ch
changed as they looked again into an
grv amazement-and something else.
A tall. handsome young man saun-
tered past. so engrossed in watching
the girl by his side that he failed to OBJ
serve the two pairs of angry eyes fixed
upon them. A lovely young girl she
was. The slender figure was clothed in
white; she was swinging broad. plumey
Gainsborough hat in her hand, and the
soft breeze ran riot among the golden
hair, tossing it into innumerable, bewil-
dering rings, while the quivering, ten
der smile on the pretty lips matched
the wild-rose flush of her cheeks. Every
word they uttered came clear and dis
tinct to the two watchers.
$50. my darling" tho young man
was saying, ''you did not receive my
note, after all; strange what became OF
! it."
tsThe unseen auditors half arose ST.
multaneously and looked anxiously
around, but sank back with consterna-
| ton in their countenances. cold per-
spiration believing their brows.
Perhaps you put 1t into the wron g
bouquet Millie suggested roguish ",
"Never!' he exclaimed. stopping 10
press kiss upon the sauoy mouth.
'.You know only sent them to concil-
late the drag-there! don't frown;
mean your dear aunts, How my heart
| fell to-day. when saw you dressed in
white instead of blue. and not flower
about you except in your sweet face!
But it's all right now, and is yes. af.
ter al"
He pressed the yellow head closer to
| his bosom.
20 Jamesr' she whispered. "T'hey
| will never, never consent!"
'They must and shall ~ exclaimed
| James Randolph, raising his head in
vehement assertion; then his Jaw drop
ped. and he stood gazing straight be-
fore him, petrified and speechless.
Following his look, Millie caught
her breath and started. What she saw
was her two staid and dignified guard.
ians, whose one theme had been the
beauties Of grave and sober deport
ment, dressed in the girlish costume
| planned by this romantic young lovel
! FOR herself, even to the bouquet of pinl